First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1
| First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1 | ||||
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| Live album by Lee Konitz , Dan Tepfer , Michael Janisch , Jeff Williams | ||||
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Publication |
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| Label (s) | Whirlwind Recordings | |||
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Format (s) |
CD |
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Title (number) |
8th |
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running time |
01:08:08 |
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Lee Konitz, Michael Janisch |
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Studio (s) |
Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London |
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First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1 is a jazz album by Lee Konitz , Dan Tepfer , Michael Janisch and Jeff Williams . The recordings, which were made on May 19 and 20, 2010 at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in Soho, London, were released on June 9, 2014 on Janisch's Whirlwind Recordings label .
background
American bass player Michael Janisch moved to Great Britain around 2004. Since then he has worked as a band leader, composer, teacher, promoter and producer on the international scene and founded the independent label Whirlwind Recordings in 2010 . Janisch appeared occasionally at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in London from 2007 and curated a monthly series there between September 2009 and November 2011 in which instrumentalists such as Mark Turner , Tim Warfield and Till Brönner were introduced and sometimes recorded. First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1 is the recording of a performance by saxophonist Lee Konitz for two nights in May 2010 together with American compatriot Jeff Williams on drums and Paris-born pianist Dan Tepfer. As the title suggests, the participants worked together as a quartet for the first time.
Without a rehearsal or a plan, everyone in the technically leaderless group had the freedom to start melodies, develop them as they wish and actually decide whether they wanted to play at all or not, wrote Andy Boeckstaens. In this case, half of the eight pieces are initiated by Konitz and four as a duet or trio. "Giant Steps" for example - without Konitz - contains extensive solos for piano and bass, while " Body and Soul " was played as a duet by Tepfer and Konitz.
Track list
- Lee Konitz, Dan Tepfer, Michael Janisch, Jeff Williams: First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1 (Whirlwind Recordings, WR 4638)
- Billie's Bounce 9:20 am - Michael Janisch / Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer / Jeff Williams
- All the Things You Are 10:00 - Michael Janisch / Lee Konitz / Jeff Williams
- Stella by Starlight 9:57 - Michael Janisch / Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer / Jeff Williams
- Giant Steps 11:37 - Michael Janisch / Dan Tepfer / Jeff Williams
- Body & Soul 5:03 - Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer
- Alone Together 14:08 - Michael Janisch / Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer / Jeff Williams
- Subconscious Lee 6:08 - Michael Janisch / Lee Konitz / Dan Tepfer / Jeff Williams
- Outro (Sweet & Lovely) 1:55 - Lee Konitz / Jeff Williams
reception
According to Andy Boeckstaens, who reviewed the album for London Jazz Neews , the result is a mutual success, but Konitz's presence will be the main attraction for many listeners and he makes all the difference in this wonderful album. "His language is remarkably resistant to the passing of the years, and more importantly, no one in the world sounds remotely like him."
David Whiteis wrote in JazzTimes that, despite his reputation for “dryness” and “brain-heavy” Konitz showed a strong sense of humor and was relentlessly aggressive. A typical example is "Billie's Bounce", the opening title; where he does not give up: “He lurks, staggers, ducks, breaks out into a quick gallop and then withdraws with feline grace. In the meantime, Tepfer seldom deviates radically from canonical constructs, as if determined to provide ballast for others' free excursion adventures. However, he alternates the rhythmic low-end tasks with the bassist Janisch, giving Janisch the opportunity to go on extensive excursions, depending on the mood. The collective improvisation is of course the essence of the music these men make. ”Despite Konitz's prickly humor and a determined lack of sentimentality, there is a real warmth, even an intimacy, to be felt throughout, says Whiteis. "Here are four freedom-bound explorers who meet and merge, but do not endanger their identity or independence and create music that both manifests and transcends their individual gifts."
John Fordham gave the album a four-star rating in the Guardian, saying that John Zorn described the then 86-year-old saxophonist Lee Konitz as a "brilliant, adventurous and original" jazz improviser, and there is much evidence of this in this often fascinating improvisational set. Tepfer, Janisch and Williams made an excellent piano trio in their own right, and Konitz took up their suggestions and delivered his own with his characteristically intelligent bebop figures and the wincing, sweet and sour treble sound. The band is subtly intertwined with a driving, restlessly swinging “ All the Things You Are ”, while the luxuriously emphatic bass intro to “ Alone Together ” is reminiscent of Janisch's musicality and power; Konitz 'signature tune "Subconscious Lee" is a quick and inventive ensemble conversation.
Web links
- Listing of the album on Allmusic (English). Retrieved January 19, 2020.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Andy Boeckstaens: CD Review: Lee Konitz, Dan Tepfer, Michael Janisch, Jeff Williams - First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1. London Jazz News, May 7, 2014, accessed April 20, 2020 (English) .
- ↑ Lee Konitz, Dan Tepfer, Michael Janisch, Jeff Williams - First Meeting (Live in London Volume 1) at Discogs
- ↑ David Whiteis: Lee Konitz, Dan Tepfer, Michael Janisch, Jeff Williams - First Meeting: Live in London, Volume 1. JazzTimes, May 6, 2019, accessed April 20, 2020 .
- ^ John Fordham: Konitz / Tepfer / Janisch / Williams: First Meeting: Live in London Vol 1 review. The Guardian, June 5, 2014, accessed April 20, 2020 .